Housing: Less talk more action, says BPF

The British Property Federation has welcomed the draft housing bill formalising the creation of Communities England and implementing the recommendations of the Hills and Cave Reviews.

Ian Fletcher, director for residential policy, said: "These structural reforms should help increase the supply of housing which is desperately needed and reflected in the increase in house building targets published today. The tipping point for initiative overload must be getting close, however, and the focus must now be on delivery and not more initiatives. We need to look at backing changes in legislative with sufficient funding in the Comprehensive Spending Review. We need sensible proposals on funding infrastructure and on planning reform. The arrangements already in place for the transition towards Communities England are a positive sign however, showing that the Government is mindful of delivery and not just more headlines."

Some of the measures in the Housing Act 2004 have yet to be implemented and none have yet been evaluated. The BPF believes that it would be absurd to consider yet more regulation of the sector against that context.